Seasons Of Sweet Memories
by dreamcoloredgift
Summary: *One-shot collection of "Seasons of Chances and Love"* In the eyes of the seasons that passed by, each of their untold stories started unfolding one by one. *Hyotei&Rikkai *Atobe *Yukimura *Sanada
1. For Real! (Hyoutei & Rikkaidai)

**Chapter Title:** For Real?!

 **Chapter Summary:** The news about Tezuka having a girlfriend spread like wild fire. Was it really a miracle for the stoic Seigaku tennis player to fall in love? Possible reactions of Hyoutei Gakuen and Rikkaidai's tennis teams regarding the issue. _*Side story to "Seasons of Chances and Love #1: Classic Love In Spring"*_

 **This is just something I thought about when I was writing an extra story of "Seasons of Chances and Love" with Yukimura as a main character. I wrote this out of the blue (again) so I guess I could say that this is just a failed attempt of mine in writing humor fic. I'll never be good at writing something with humor, anyway. Hehe! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, though I'm not really sure how will this story appeal to the readers.**

 **By the way, there will be a total of 11-12 chapters for this series and it will all be one-shots. All of it will be related to "Seasons of Chances and Love" series that's currently in-progress.**

 **Standard disclaimer applies. Characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible/major OOCness—it depends upon you).**

 **-x-x-**

Was it really considered a miracle for the renowned "statue" of Seigaku's tennis team to fall in love, much less have a girlfriend? Well, Tezuka Kunimitsu was someone famous all over the campus. In looks, in tennis, in academics, in extracurricular—he was known for it all. Almost all of the female population of Seigaku admired him; all were wishing that somehow, they'd find ways to capture his heart. His stone-like personality, his monosyllabic replies (more often than not), his stoic expression, his almost unnoticeable determination and dedication in tennis—these were by far more than enough to make these girls go crazy and wild about him (in some cases).

Of course, no one would actually think that someone had captured Tezuka's attention and melted his heart a long time ago. No one knew that one girl—known for her amazing ability in playing the piano—had managed to do all that. And when that girl came back to his life one spring time, at the start of the semester, his life revolved in ways no one had ever thought possible.

Tezuka Kunimitsu had come to love a girl by the name of Hondou Kazumi—his childhood friend and the only girl he ever loved. Only a few people knew their story, though. For now, it was for the best that only a few people knew the struggle they've been through, the pain that the past had cost them and made them suffer, and also the love that had existed in their hearts for so long.

Fangirls of the said stoic tennis player weren't much delighted by this fact, of course. And if looks could kill, Kazumi would've been dead already if it wasn't for the help of the master blackmailersof Seigaku. Do I have to say who they were? Duh! Anyway, the master blackmailers of Seigaku had done a lot to help Kazumi avoid the danger that the fangirls could cause to her. Not only that, having friends like Miyako (who was a member of the renowned family of sharpshooters and businessmen, the Yumemiya family), Aika (whose blunt words—once pissed and angry—could really be as sharp as knives), Hanako (who can seriously kill someone—once she had the intent to do so—with just one of her karate kicks), and Kana (who can seriously take down and humiliate someone with her speed, strength, and words; she was a member of a family renowned for their martial arts skills, the Miyuzaki family) was definitely something beneficial for the pianist and the stoic tennis player's safety.

One way or another, reputation such as those could really do so much once it was firmly established. And those firmly established reputation had scared the fangirls big time.

But that wasn't the real issue here.

News could spread fast—maybe even faster than forest fire. And the news about Tezuka having a girlfriend had definitely caused some of their rival schools to be in an uproar. Most especially, to two of their rival schools in the Kantou region. Now this was seriously something considered troublesome.

And what might these rival schools were?

Hyoutei Gakuen and Rikkaidai Fuzoku.

Very troublesome, indeed.

 **-x-x-**

Well, first up was Hyoutei Gakuen.

And Atobe Keigo, the king of the said school, was definitely not in a very good mood when he heard the news. He couldn't believe it at all. For his rival Tezuka Kunimitsu to have a girlfriend before him? What nonsense!

Okay, he did have a girlfriend even before Tezuka. But there was a big difference between his situation and to that of Tezuka's. Of course, no one knew that at all. But still, he couldn't help feeling something.

He was frustrated about the issue.

"Atobe, you'll be breaking that glass any second if you gripped it too much," Oshitari Yuushi reminded, with a smirk on his face, of course.

"Shut up, Yuushi," the Hyoutei king could grumble. But somehow, he heeded his teammate's words. He loosened his hold on the glass, but that didn't dissipate his frustration. And to make it worse, Oshitari's smirk seemed to have been plastered on the blue-haired tensai's face longer than usual.

And he hated it even more. This guy liked to watch him getting frustrated more often than not. Okay, to simply put, this heck of a guy liked to see him all messed up because of something seriously shocking.

As for the (currently) hated tensai of Hyoutei Gakuen, all he could do was to smirk. Sure, he'd been doing that ever since he saw Atobe after the news reached them. But no one knew, not even his doubles partner Mukahi, that he was happy that Tezuka finally confessed to Hondou Kazumi, Oshitari's beloved female cousin.

No one knew that Kazumi was his cousin. Of course, it was natural for him to know the pianist's feelings for the stoic tennis player of Seigaku. He also knew how she suffered when she chose to leave for the sake of her father, hiding the truth from Tezuka in return.

Well, it was for the best that those two ended up together. At least, he was the only one among the Hyoutei tennis team to think like that. For now, it was okay that there was someone who think like that.

"I guess the news doesn't have to be taken as a bad one, Atobe-senpai," Ohtori said that snapped everyone in that clubroom out of their musings. He decided to visit his other senpais in the high school division that time.

"Well, it's still uncool, though. For the famed stoic player of Seigaku to suddenly have a girlfriend," Shishido commented placidly.

"I heard that the girl was beautiful, though. The daughter of a famous musician, or so I heard," now Mukahi gave his comment.

Atobe faced the rest of the team. "What else do you know about this girl? Ore-sama wants to know."

Uh-oh! That wasn't a good sign for Oshitari. He stiffened as he heard the serious (not to mention demanding) tone in Atobe's voice. This guy surely doesn't want to give up, does he? But the Hyoutei tensai had to be careful. His cousin could be in danger with regards to this one, although he doubted that something threatening could happen to her.

"What for?"

"Ore-sama has to know how that girl managed to have Tezuka as her boyfriend. I want to know her personalities and ability—reasons for Tezuka to fall in love with her."

Oshitari decided to do a little something when he heard that. "Why do you want to know so much about her, Atobe? Are you jealous?"

"Shut your mouth, Yuushi. I mean it!"

And shut up he did. Without removing the smirk on his face, of course. Well, he could feel a little calm now. Or maybe not. What Atobe said wasn't still an assurance that Kazumi would be spared.

"How Hondou Kazumi-san managed to capture Tezuka-san's heart is not your business, Keigo," a voice of a girl suddenly said.

Upon looking around, they saw a girl with mint green hair tied in a large ponytail and wearing something casual sitting on the windowsill. Wait a minute! How did that girl entered the clubhouse without their notice?

"Julie, again with your cat-like moves. Didn't Ore-sama tell you not to sneak up on Ore-sama like that?"

"Sorry, but I don't remember Keigo-bochama saying something like that to me," Julie replied casually and looked outside. "By the way, why you do want to know about the girl that has become Tezuka-san's girlfriend? Shouldn't you just be glad about the fact that he found the one who melted the ice surrounding his heart?"

"Ore-sama just wants to know. Not many girls could do something like that to Tezuka, especially if that girl would end up to be his girlfriend in the end."

The girl named Julie just faced Atobe with a serious expression but that didn't erase the fact that the girl was like emitting a very deadly aura. "Don't try anything funny, Keigo. I'm willing to disclose the details to you about this girl. But if I find out anything that could cause her to get hurt, or if I find out that it's your fault, I won't hesitate to take you down in three seconds flat. I mean it, Keigo."

Oshitari wasn't sure if he would be glad with what Julie stated or be more afraid of her. But the fact that this girl could protect his cousin like that was enough for him to feel relieved. For real.

"Ore-sama is not that foolish, Julie. Ore-sama mean it when Ore-sama said that Ore-sama just want to know her."

Wow… Atobe was serious about that? The rest of the team could only gape at the sight. How could a girl do this to the king of Hyoutei, anyway?

"Just who is that girl?"

"Who knows. Anyone of you know her?"

"Not a clue at all."

"Usu."

"I think I kinda like her, being able to approach Atobe like that and give off an aura saying 'I could kill you instantly.'"

"Come to think of it, no girls in our school had done that to Atobe-senpai at all. Most of them just adored him and were following him."

They saw Julie placed a folder on top of the coffee table and left without a word. Of course, she made a stop beside Oshitari, which surprised the blue-haired tensai.

"Don't worry. I didn't include in that file about your true relationship with Hondou-san. But even still, take care of her. At least do it for my cousin Miyako who's a friend of your cousin. You know her, right? I'll do my best in ensuring that nothing will happen to her and Keigo will not harm her at all, though I doubt the last one will ever happen." She said those words in whisper—one that only he could hear and somehow assured him that everything was going to be all right for now.

"Thank you." And then he slightly faced her. "By the way, who are you really?"

"Ask him," was all she said as she glanced at Atobe reading the files in that folder.

"As if he will answer it," he snorted.

"He will. But don't be too surprised as his answer. Okay?" And she winked at him before finally leaving the clubhouse. Her steps were surely as light as a cat.

What was that supposed to mean?

"Ne, Atobe, who's that beautiful girl you were talking to?" Mukahi found the guts to ask the narcissistic tennis player about that.

No answer came out from Atobe at first. Of course, they had expected it. He was busy reading the files, anyway. But the words he had spoken soon after was surely enough to give them a shock of their lives.

"Julie is Ore-sama's fiancée," was Atobe's proud answer. Duh! How else would he answer it?

Now another shocking news was about to spread out fast—like wild fire. But Oshitari hoped that the details Julie had provided to Atobe was enough to stop him from doing something—anything—to Kazumi.

"Now that Ore-sama had known all this, Ore-sama must meet Hondou Kazumi at all cost."

 _Or not._ Oshitari slapped his forehead because of disbelief. _This is going to be a long day…_

 **-x-x-**

Well, that was seriously not what the tennis team of Hyoutei Gakuen had expected to know in one day. Oh, well. It was their personal lives, anyway.

But what about Rikkaidai Fuzoku? Surely, with Seigaku's stoic tennis player to have a girlfriend was a news that caused them to be in an uproar. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But their reaction was something close to that.

"Genichirou, did you hear the news?" Yanagi immediately asked his stoic friend the moment he saw Sanada entered the tennis courts.

"What news? Make sure it's something sensible."

"Any news that Yanagi say is sensible, Sanada. Especially if it's about people's personal lives—or to be specific, their love lives," Niou commented with a smirk.

"Then it has nothing to do with me. I'm not interested," Sanada replied nonchalantly, as always.

"If the news about Tezuka having a girlfriend is something that is not sensible, then I guess it's not worth mentioning."

All eyes opened wide as soon as Yanagi's words registered in their minds.

"EH?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"That stoic tennis player Tezuka has a girlfriend? For real?"

"120% real, Marui."

"Where did you hear that news?"

"Sadaharu provided me the data long before it circulated to the rest of the junior high school circuit."

"Now that's definitely a news worth mentioning, Renji."

"I know you'd agree with me, Seiichi."

That was when Yukimura looked at Sanada. Though the capped tennis player remained expressionless, one emotion was evident in his eyes. As a result, he chuckled at the sight of it. "You don't have to be that surprised, Genichirou."

Well, it wasn't obvious to tell but those words were enough to snap Sanada out of his surprised state. "Who said I was surprised? Better get ready before Nanasaki-buchou scold us again."

"You're avoiding the issue, Sanada. Are you really that allergic when it comes to love?" Niou taunted. But Sanada chose to ignore it. Marui snickered.

Sanada resumed to take his racket out of his tennis bag. But Yukimura could see how tight his best friend gripped the poor racket. Now that was weird. Could this sort of news had possibly infuriated Sanada?

Well, Sanada was gripping his tennis racket tight for some reason. But it wasn't out of infuriation. He just felt… outwitted. Weird… He had no desire of finding a girlfriend at this point of time. It was a thought he considered insane. Or maybe not. After a few moments, the grip on his racket loosened that Yukimura noticed. The aura he was emitting was different, too—which was something that the Child of God felt. With this, he understood Sanada's actions. The stoic tennis player remembered a painful past, at least he could tell that.

 _So you remembered_ _ **her**_ _, huh?_ Yukimura had the urge to tell that to his best friend but decided not to. He soon faced Yanagi. "Do you have any data on Tezuka's girlfriend? If she does exist, that is…"

"Of course, she exist. She's Miyako's friend."

The boys turned around, only to see a girl with long single-braided sea green hair. She was wearing Rikkaidai school girl and now she was approaching them. That girl was holding a clipboard on one hand and the strap of her duffel bag slung on her shoulder on the other.

"Miyako? Who's that?"

"My childhood friend studying in Seigaku right now," the girl answered nonchalantly as she glanced at Sanada for a few seconds and later faced the others. "And aren't you supposed to be preparing for your practice? Your training menus will be changed again today. Onii-san and Hirota-fukubuchou already finished formulating it. There's only the implementation left to all of you—regulars and non-regulars alike."

"Again?! That's the third change of training menu for this month already. Is buchou really trying to kill us?" Marui complained.

A sigh of exasperation escaped from the girl's lips. "If you got any complaints, say it to my brother. Not to me. I'm only making sure of its implementation to all of you and record its results." After that, she left.

"Hotaru's a demon. A demon, I tell you!" Niou ranted.

Yukimura laughed a bit at that. "More like a malevolent angel to me. No demon is as beautiful as her."

"Well, it's just a disguise. If there's anyone who tries to kill us, it's her, not buchou," Marui retorted as he popped the bubble he blew from his gum.

"But is it true? Miyako knew the girl?"

Yanagi nodded. "It's true, since it's in Sadaharu's data. He was there when the couple sorted things out."

"Sorted things out? What's that supposed to mean?" Yagyuu asked, speaking for the first time.

As soon as Sanada heard those words, something struck him. He approached Yanagi with his stoic face still on. "Could it be that the girl's name was… Hondou Kazumi-san?"

Well, it was no surprise that the others were stunned to know that.

"You know her, Genichirou? Not because of the fact that she's a famous young pianist, of course," Yanagi said, although he doubted that Sanada would even like to listen to classical music in which Kazumi was specialized at.

But Sanada didn't answer the data master's question. In fact, the emperor just let out a smile—albeit a sad and small one, at that. "So he really waited for her, huh?"

"A famous pianist?"

"Hondou Kazumi, 15 years old, an only child of the famous musicians and the granddaughter of the renowned musician Hondou Renji—" At this point, someone commented something like "You must be glad that her grandfather had the same name as you, Yanagi," which he ignored as he read along. "—Blood type: AB. Born September 28 and currently a first year at Seigaku's high school division. She's in the same class as Miyako," he informed as she scanned his trusty notebook. "But I didn't know you know her, Genichirou."

"I only know her by name." _Thanks to Tezuka's grandfather that knows the whole story who told me about her through my grandfather_ , he would've added but decided not to. With that nonchalant answer, he stepped away.

Choosing to let Sanada do what he wanted to do, Yukimura faced the data master. "You said that Tezuka and Hondou-san sorted things out. Did they had a fight before?"

"More like words that he wanted to undo saying to her before she left Japan during the late part of the 2nd semester of their freshmen middle school." And Yanagi began stating the details of what happened the day Tezuka and Kazumi reconciled. He stated it according to Inui's data, of course. And to make it even more… exciting, Yanago also showed a picture of Tezuka embracing an elegantly beautiful girl wearing a Seigaku school uniform to the rest.

Well, really good facial expressions showed up to the team's faces and Yanagi took the time to record it in his trusty notebook while the others still looked at the picture in extreme disbelief. With the exception of Yukimura and Sanada, anyway.

"Are you sure this is authentic, Yanagi?"

"He's really hugging a girl here?"

"Here's a picture of Hondou Kazumi-san." Yanagi handed another picture to Yukimura. It was a solo picture of Kazumi in a casual dress. Where he or Inui got that photo was beyond everyone's knowledge.

"Wow! She's beautiful. I wonder how Tezuka managed to capture her heart."

"They're childhood friends and they met at her grandfather's memorial hall when they were kids."

"But in any case, I guess they look good together. And it's safe to assume that they already love each other long before this."

"Call it a miracle, Jackal. I mean, the stoic Seigaku tennis player to fall in love? Many people will surely keel over from shock, I tell you."

They continued discussing the issue with Sanada remained quiet on one side. He was busy testing his racket's string tension when he saw both Captain Nanasaki Satoru and Vice-Captain Hirota Sui entering the courts.

"If you're done discussing and snooping on details of other people's personal lives, then I guess it's better if we start the implementation on your training menus. If you have the time and energy doing that, then you have the time to stay focused on your training," their captain scolded that made the members cringe a bit in fear. Niou and the others just winced at it.

"Oh, crap! We're dead!"

"The demon captain's here. Too bad we can't run for our lives now."

"Niou, careful with your words…"

"Niou, Marui, 100 laps around the court! Now!"

"100 laps?!"

"Keep complaining and I'll make it 500. Now start!"

"Demon…" Niou and Marui both grumbled as they started their laps. Yukimura and Yanagi just laughed a bit and proceeded with the other regulars to start the implementation of their training menus.

Oh, well. That was what they got for complaining too much. And that was what they got for having a captain crueler in training than Yukimura. They just have to deal with it.

 **-x-x-**

A loud sneeze echoed in the room of a chateau in Vienna while Kazumi was playing the piano in the music room of that night. She just returned from the rehabilitation facility where her check-up was done a while back.

"I wonder who's talking about me…" she mumbled before heaving a sigh. "Probably just someone who doesn't have anything to do with his life…"

At that point, she heard her phone rang. A gentle smilecrossed her face as soon as she saw the name of the person calling her at that hour.

"Why do I have a feeling that you had the same intuition as I did?" she started with a smile, even though she knew that the person she was talking to wouldn't see that.

"Intuition? What do you mean?"

"That somebody was talking about us… Kunimitsu…"

A slight chuckle was still heard from the other line that made her smile more. "It should be something expected already, Kazumi. Especially if it's about me…"

"Conceited."

"By the way, how are you there? Are you going to be okay?"

"Don't worry. I'll be up and kicking when I get back there with you. But I guess I'll be preparing myself for whatever will happen as soon as I come back."

"I'll be with you whatever happens. I want you to remember that. Okay?"

"Okay. I will. Thank you, Kunimitsu."

"That's to let you know how much I love you. But I guess Grandfather can't really wait to meet you again. He already heard about us being together again."

"I might as well have his expertise in training me again in judo. I miss doing that… if only I wasn't suffering from this sickness before."

"You'll be fine. You said so yourself." Worry filled up his whole being just hearing her mention about her "sickness" like that again. "I'll train you myself if you want to."

"I'll only ask the help of your expert grandfather, Kunimitsu. Don't take the attention all to yourself. I'll just play the piano for you. That way, our time will only be for ourselves and no one else."

"If you say so." Silence surrounded them for a few seconds. "You should get some sleep."

"I know. I just want to finish practicing Mozart's piece before I do so. I have a competition to attend to a week after I return to Japan. And also, I want you to hear this before all that. Will you be able to listen to it some time?"

He smiled, even though she wouldn't be able to see it. "I will."

Ah… Love was in the air despite the mile-wide distance that separated them temporarily. And it was a love that they both held on to in spite of everything that had happened in the past. It was a love that they had no plans of letting go at all.

 **-x-x-**

 **Kirihara of Rikkaidai and Hiyoshi of Hyoutei are not present in this story since this took place during the first year of senior high school for both school. I only added Ohtori in this one since somehow, he found his way to add himself in the story.**

 **If you read my series "Seasons of Chances and Love", then you'll be seeing the names of these OCs there. Here are the list of the OCs that will appear in the series:**

 **-Julianna Marie "Julie" Elzea, Atobe's fiancee (though it was still a question as to whether it was true or not);**

 **-Nanasaki Hotaru, headstrong manager of Rikkaidai's tennis club for boys and Miyako and Kana's family friend;**

 **-Nanasaki Satoru, captain of Rikkaidai's tennis team and Hotaru's older brother;**

 **-Hirota Sui, vice-captain of Rikkaidai's tennis team and Satoru's best friend; also the older brother of the captain of Seigaku Girls' Tennis Club, Hirota Asami.**

 **Reviews are appreciated very much. :)**


	2. The Love I'll Never Find Again (Atobe)

**Chapter Title:** The Love I'll Never Find Again

 **Pairing:** Atobe/OC

 **Chapter Summary:** Getting engaged to a half-British young woman and getting along with the arrangement that will be nullified in five years' time if no romantic feelings emerged between them was a little crazy in his perception. Especially if he could clearly see now what lies ahead of his future if that woman disappeared in his life forever. At that realization, he already knew he was lost.

 **So this is another one-shot I wrote which you can say is a continuation of the chapter with the title "For Real?!". This is written more on Atobe's perception since he would be most likely explaining how he and Julie became engaged. Of course, this will come out a little cheesy and sort of OOC-ish (or maybe even crappy) one shot so be warned. Julie appeared in Chapter 5 of "Seasons of Chances and Love 2: Perfect Love In Summer" so I guess I can considered this, still, as a side story for "Seasons of Chances and Love" series.**

 **Anyway, enjoy reading this story. Please do leave a review if you have comments/suggestions. It will help me in more ways than one.**

 ** _Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness)._**

 **NP: "Now That I Found You" by Michael Bolton**

 **-x-x-**

 _ **I can still remember**_

 _ **When all I had was time**_

 _ **A time when I had nothin'**_

 _ **But this empty heart of mine**_

Would it be really weird if someone like Atobe Keigo actually thought of the future—and I mean the far future—just because he got strangely engaged (for real, this time) to a young woman of high class? In the young master's perception, it wasn't only weird.

It was completely crazy.

But that was what happened to him. His engagement to a young half-Japanese woman named Julianna Marie Elzea made him think of the future—something he rarely does. Yes, he was aware that he'd inherit the Atobe family's vast fortune as soon as he reached the right age. He knew he would be the one to lead his family's group of companies as soon as he was done studying.

At least, he thought about that kind of future about him.

That one that Atobe considered crazy as he thought about the future concerned theyoung Elzea heiress—Julie. Yes, her family called her that way. And since the two of them became engaged due to an old family agreement—their fathers were to blame for that, he was given the privilege to call her that way, as well. It was shorter, in his opinion, and so he agreed.

But since the first day, his girl had truly intrigued him—in more ways that one.

 _ **When I needed inspiration**_

 _ **When the night was all I knew**_

 _ **You were the light shinin' into my life**_

 _ **The reason for all the love I'm feelin'**_

"Keigo- _bocchama_ , the files that you needed have arrived. And I also brought you some tea," the family butler announced that brought him out of his reverie.

The young master acknowledged it with a nod and soon said that the butler could leave. The servant obliged. Once again, he was left to think of his "fiancee" all alone in that room.

"Fiancee… huh?" Yes, it was really a weird thing he could think of that word now without actually loathing it to the core. He must admit—in his own Atobe way, of course—that the word first gave him contempt all because he was still clueless about the identity of the woman he was betrothed to.

But during that one fateful night he met her for the first time, loathing the words "engagement" and "fiancee" seemed to be the last thing in his mind as soon as he laid his eyes on her…

 **-x-x-**

 _For a half-British half-Japanese lady like Julie, she surely carried herself regally as expected. There wasn't any signs of shyness or reluctance in her posture and stance as she entered the room where they held their first meeting that night. Just as how the other members of the Elzea family would usually project themselves to the public and to the world. At the sight of Julie approaching Atobe and his family in such regal manner already made him realize that she was completely different from all the girls he encountered in his life._

 _One thing Atobe noticed, though, was the Julie was too quiet for his taste. During the meeting, she rarely spoke a word. She didn't even retaliate about his father's announcement of their engagement. Normally, those women trying to get engaged themselves to him would either react immediately in excitement or get angry because they didn't want to tie themselves in such useless arrangements._

 _But Julie's reaction was different—one that sparked his interest about her even more._

 _ **Now that I've found you**_

 _ **I don't know how I lived without you**_

 _ **I don't know how I survived without your love**_

 _ **Now that I've found you**_

 _ **I only know I'd be lost without you**_

"Otou-sama _, if I agree with this kind of arrangement without complaints, I'm hoping it won't interfere with my duties to the family and to the princess," Julie started as she faced her British father Charles Elzea._

 _Atobe saw Charles nod in understanding. "I know that, my daughter. I'm very well aware of your position to the family. I asked your mother's opinion about this before I proceeded with the plan. So you don't have to worry about anything."_

" _This arrangement, Julie, will never hit any important duties that you and Keigo have to your families and I can assure you that," said Atobe's father with a reassuring smile._

 _At that, Atobe saw Julie heave a sigh of relief. She neither agreed nor disagreed with the arranged marriage idea yet. But one question lingered in his mind after that, though. How important was Julie's filial duties for her to say such things? Because of that, he even thought she didn't have that much freedom because she was too bound to her duties._

"Ore-sama _would like to know more about this 'princess' you spoke of," Atobe uttered. But to his surprise, he saw Julie smiled and soon broke in small fits of laughter. His father found it confusing while her father found it amusing._

 _What could have made this girl do that?_

 _ **I found the love**_

 _ **That I'll never find again**_

" _I'm sorry for that sudden act. I just couldn't help it," she said as she smiled. "I thought my cousin Tetsuya was already too pompous for my taste and for his own good. It turns out you can beat him to it, Atobe Keigo-_ san _."_

 _Another weird thing happened. He didn't feel insulted with her words._

" _It's_ ore-sama _, after all. Be awed at my prowess."_

" _Well, sorry but I don't get easily awed by someone's prowess—if they really have one to begin with—unless I'm able to see a proof of it."_

 _Well, this girl was way too blunt for his taste. That was for sure. But his intrigued for Julie had easily dissipated his irritation over her actions and responses._

" _Now, Julie, don't get yourself into a petty argument with someone at the moment. We have an arrangement to settle," Charles interjected which was enough to keep the young woman quiet._

 _Atobe could tell it wasn't out of fear why she became silent. She wanted to listen or at least understand her father's words with regards to the reason of their meeting that night._

 _And so the two fathers explained to them the full reason for Atobe Keigo and Julianna Marie "Julie" Elzea to meet that night. Of course, it still had something to do with business and old college promises that the two family patriarch made. But this arranged marriage agreement had some twist on it, though._

 _For once, Atobe couldn't tell if he was going to be happy about it or not._

 **-x-x-**

' _ **Cause all I ever needed**_

 _ **And all I ever wanted has come true**_

 _ **I found it all now that I've found you**_

"An arranged marriage agreement that will be nullified after five years…" Those were the words that Atobe fully remembered from the conversation that had transpired that night more than two years ago. He was in second year of his middle school when it happened.

It wasn't a lifetime agreement, the two fathers stated quite clearly to them. It would only last for five years, no more no less. Of course, the twist to that was: if something happened in the span of that five years that would be beyond their control, especially to that of Atobe and Julie, then the arrangement could be reconsidered.

In other words, if neither found themselves falling in love with each other within the span of five years given to them as a time frame to change each other's feelings, then the arranged marriage agreement would be rendered null and void in an instant. That means the agreement would only be secured if there was an emotional involvement between him and Julie.

Seriously, when did his father actually consider emotional involvement in arranged marriages such as the one that happened to him and Julie?

 _ **I could've searched forever**_

 _ **And never realized**_

 _ **The treasure of a lifetime**_

 _ **Was the love inside your eyes**_

And yet, there he was—still thinking of what to do to capture that elusive young woman's heart which he never did to other girls before. But with their current duties to their respective families, he was stomped.

During those two years that had passed since that announcement, Atobe did his best to learn more about Julie and her life. He discovered her to be a very artistic and intelligent woman. Too intelligent, as a matter of fact, that she had found herself advancing to her studies, thus enabling her to enroll in one of the famous universities in Vienna, Austria. That's right, Julie was already a university student at a young age of 16. She dedicated herself in painting whenever she had free time and even he was amazed at her artistry. Yet he would never admit that to her for now. At least not at the moment.

 _ **When I reach for inspiration**_

 _ **In your touch, it's always there**_

 _ **Givin' me faith every step of the way**_

 _ **Givin' me all I ever needed**_

And he also learned that, since she belonged to the famed Yumemiya family because of her Japanese mother Yumemiya Emi, Julie was quite adept in sharpshooting. In fact, she was one of the most skilled sharpshooters in the family alongside her older brother Chrono Arthur Elzea, and her maternal cousins Yumemiya Mamoru and Miyako. So he knew full well not to get to Julie's bad side. Or else, he'd find himself shot in between the eyes in 3 seconds flat.

For real.

Yet through all that, he couldn't feel fear even though he was aware of Julie's true combat skills. Worry, yes. He would always worry for her safety. But he knew she would do her best to come back alive and unscathed. She admitted that to him once before, when she visited him out of the blue.

He would visit her in Vienna. She would visit him in Tokyo. All were decided in the spur of a moment. Of course, they must be aware of those visits so that they wouldn't miss out each other. Through that, both of them were getting chances to know each other. It was those visits that made Atobe slowly becoming aware of the emerging new emotion in his heart.

Atobe sighed as he looked outside the window and observed the clear sky. Soon after, he faced the folder that the butler had placed on his study table. He strode a few steps and stopped beside it before taking the said file and opened it.

But he frowned at what he had just read on it.

 _ **Now that I've found you**_

 _ **I don't know how I lived without you**_

 _ **I don't know how I survived without your love**_

 _ **Now that I've found you**_

 _ **I only know I'd be lost without you**_

 _ **I found the love that I'll never find again**_

"Didn't I tell you not to do anything to find the identity of the princess I'm tasked to protect?"

He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. His eyes remained fixated to the information he was reading.

"You know how _Ore-sama_ 's mind works when overwhelmed with curiosity, Julie," he said without turning around. He had to stay like that for a while to calm himself.

Soon after, Atobe heard her sigh that made him finally turn around and faced Julie. She was sitting on the on the windowsill while facing outside with a melancholic look. Come to think of it, he'd sometimes see her like this. But whenever he would asked her about it, she would say it was nothing despite knowing it was a blatant lie.

' _ **Cause all I ever needed**_

 _ **And all I ever wanted has come true**_

 _ **I found it all now that I've found you**_

"I'm hiding that part of the truth from you because of the oath I made when I decided to accept the task, Keigo. Please try to understand that. I'm doing this not just for the clan but also for you and your family. I don't want you to get caught up in the mess," Julie said without looking at him.

But for one moment, he had heard and felt fear, hopelessness, and desperation in those words. Of course, without a question, it arouse his curiosity even more. And yet her pleading appeared to be one thing that even he—the King of Hyoutei Atobe Keigo—couldn't possibly ignore. It was something he realized for more than two years since the engagement.

"You're talking as if _Ore-sama_ can't even protect himself, Julie."

"Because that's the truth," she deadpanned before finally facing him. "You're still weak in terms of similar physical combat that I'm facing. Keigo, I know you're curious but it's for the best if you don't know anything about all this. It would be safer for you."

" _Ore-sama_ doesn't take orders from a girl and you know that, Julie." Seriously, this young woman was beginning to get on his nerves.

"I don't give orders to a pompous brat and you know that, as well, Keigo," she retorted firmly. "I'm saying this not as an order but as a request."

 _ **And every step of the way**_

 _ **I'm gonna dedicate my heart to you**_

 _ **Promise you my world forever**_

 _ **Pledgin' my love my whole life through**_

Well, that had truly tugged him in the heart. Julie rarely made any request to him. In fact, if he was to recall properly, this would be the first time she made a request to him. And at that point, he was aware on how extremely serious the situation was.

But before he could respond to that, he grunted when he saw Julie disappeared—again. Seriously, that woman should stop being so discreet. With that, he opened the file he was reading a while back once again and eyed a certain part that eventually made him decide to grant Julie's wish… for now.

 _Mission: Protect the surviving member of the Shinomiya clan_

 _Member's identity: Unknown_

 _ **Now that I've found you**_

 _ **I don't know how I lived without you**_

 _ **I don't know how I survived without your love**_

 _ **Now that I've found you**_

 _ **I only know I'd be lost without you**_

 _ **I'll give you my love that I swear will never end**_

Of course, it only meant that the Yumemiya clan—and perhaps even the Elzea family—did their best to keep the princess (whoever that was) from being exposed to the enemies. And looking at this kind of result for the fifth time, Atobe guessed that he sould temporarily put the issue to rest until he found another way to discover the truth.

He looked at the window where Julie sat a while back. Until now, he could see her melancholic expression that he wanted so much to erase from her face. But as always, she disappeared so fast.

Just as how fast she had appeared in his life.

' _ **Cause all I ever needed**_

 _ **And all I ever wanted has come true**_

And yet Atobe wanted nothing less than to chase after her in his own way. He would catch her and never let her go. He still had to confirm something—everything. Julie was the only one who could give an answer that he sought for.

So for now, he would allow himself to think of the future. Because he swore that one day—in the future, he would make sure to make it all come true. After all, he already lost.

Atobe would never allow himself to lose Julie—whatever it takes.

 _ **I found it all now that I've found you**_

 **-x-x-**

 **I'm not sure what to say about this. Seriously…**


	3. Can Hope Bring You Back To Me?(Yukimura)

**Chapter Title:** Can Hope Bring You Back To Me?

 **Pairing:** Yukimura/OC

 **Genre:** Romance/Angst

 **Rating:** K+

 **Chapter Summary:** It's a hard task for him to forget and let go, especially if his heart remains holding on to the memories where he can still keep her alive… even though reality speaks otherwise.

 ** _Standard disclaimer applies._**

 **By the way, this is the side story for "Seasons Of Chances And Love 2: Perfect Love In Summer" and somehow, I could say that this is the continuation of Yukimura-Miyako arc in the story "Perfect Love In Summer". This will be told in Yukimura's POV so it's written in first person POV. Remember about the part where Miyako saw Yukimura holding on to the old blue paper crane during Rikkaidai's water break? This side story will explain the full reason of that part and who actually is the girl that those two were talking about.**

 **Just a little warning, though. You might find that girl familiar if you've read my other POT stories—including the crossover ones. And also you might fight Yukimura to be OOC in this. But even still, I hope you like this chapter.**

 **NP: "Because I Miss You" by Jung Yong Hwa (only written here in its English translation for the benefit of the readers)**

 **-x-x-**

Falling in love, huh? To be honest, I could only listen and imagine as to how it actually feels. At most point in my life, falling in love was something that could only cross in my mind like the passing wind. It's there but it never lasted in one place for long. It kept on blowing ever so gently but no one could see it at all. Yes, everyone could feel that mysterious and invisible wind called love.

The wind was just like love, right? But I never knew what it was really like to fall in love at all.

 ** _Always under exactly the same sky,_**

 ** _Always exactly the same day_**

However, my oblivion to love didn't remain like that for long. One ordinary morning while the flowers fully bloomed made me realize what it was really like to love. And it happened a long time ago… when I was only 10 years old. Underneath a very special _sakura_ tree was where the story of how I found love took place. I knew, at that age, I was still too young for someone to realize love… but that was the truth. At first, I couldn't believe it. And yet it happened.

But then…

This story that I considered too special was something that only one person currently knew. Okay, sratch that. Make that two. Unfortunately, Sanada wasn't among those two people who knew my precious story. In fact, no one among the Rikkaidai regulars knew about that at all.

I couldn't tell him.

I couldn't tell them.

Not this time…

Not yet…

How I hated keeping it a secret to my best friend but I was left with no choice. I couldn't bring it up just yet. I couldn't…

Why? I was scared. I was so damn scared tho blurt out this secret to anyone at all. I couldn't face the fact that they would ridicule me if I told them about it (even though I doubt they would do that). I had no desire of being called a fool if they learned the truth in any way. I'd never forgive them if they would call me or my precious memory like that…

…especially at this point…

…especially if it was about my precious memory concealed in my well-guarded secret…

 ** _Other than you not being here,_**

 ** _There's nothing different at all_**

It had been two days since Miyako visited me here in Kanagawa. I was glad she was alright despite what happened to her that nearly cost her life and that of her boyfriend Fuji Syuusuke. And I was even gladder that she came at the right time and cheered me up. After all, she knew why I was like this.

 ** _I just want to smile,_**

 ** _Want to forget everything_**

She knew why I zoned out like this once in a while… why I couldn't smile the true smile I used to show… why I kept on holding on to the memories I sealed here in my heart no matter how painful it would be for me…

And Miyako knew the very person—the very same special girl—that made me like this now…

That special girl was the one who showed me hope in the most hopeless of situations she was into…

 ** _Just like absolutely nothing has happened,_**

 ** _Smiling to live my days_**

 **-x-x-**

 _For the 10 year-old me, watching a_ _sakura _tree along with the other flowers in full bloom had never felt so good. It told a lot—at least to me. It was standing in front of a university hospital. Apparently, it was also the hospital where one of my tennis friends was admitted. And no, it wasn't Sanada. It was another tennis friend of mine. But tennis wasn't exactly the only reason why we became friends, why we became connected. His appreciation for arts and flowers was one of them. For now, they were just the few connections I could think of. Tennis, arts, flowers—I guess for now, it was enough for a plausible reason as to why we were connected and what had actually made us friends.__

 _However, that particular visitation to the hospital had led me to find out another plausible connection. Of course, it was unbeknownst to me that day._

 _As I was about to enter the hospital building, I halted to a stop when I noticed someone sitting underneath that large_ _sakura _tree I was looking at earlier. Weird… I never saw her went there before.__

 _From what I could tell, it was a young girl about 7-8 years old. The one thing I immediately noticed about her was her long and jet-black hair. The wind was blowing at that time, and so her hair swayed along. The streaks of light passing through the_ _sakura _tree created an effect on her hair as it shone, making them sparkle in some way. For a kid, her hair sure was glossy. She had a pale skin color which gave emphasis to her rosy pink cheeks. Or at least, that was what I thought as I continued looking at her.__

 _Apparently, she was busy doing something while sitting underneath the_ _sakura _tree. It was probably the reason why she couldn't sense that someone was actually watching her. But it was alright, I guess. At least I could watch her like this. For a young girl, she surely held beauty that I hadn't seen in any other girls yet. Despite her innocent looks, it also appeared that she was a girl with a strong will. In a way, I could feel it even from my position.__

 _That was when the girl looked up (finally) from whatever she was doing and slightly raised the item she was busy constructing a while back. Paper crane? So she was making paper cranes. I didn't know if she finally noticed me or just a mere coincidence that her sapphire blue eyes landed on me—err, I mean to the spot where I was standing, I mean. But that single instance somehow made everything around me felt different. I couldn't explain it fully well to myself at all but I could tell the feeling was extremely strong. It was just one look that she gave me. She was looking at me with those innocent eyes that belonged to a beautiful and elegant child. But I didn't know why those eyes actually froze me to my spot._

 _Because of that, I couldn't even stop looking at her. Now that I finally saw her face, her unique, regally princess-like beauty which I couldn't believe was actually belonged to a child like her had been more emphasized. It was a type of beauty that I couldn't stop looking at over and over. But her sweet and gentle smile was what literally took my breath away. Yes, she smiled! She was smiling at me._

 _Somehow, that smile melted the invisible ice that froze me to that spot. After all, it was such a warm smile that gave me a sort of courage booster to approach her. Great! Just what I need… which was weird. Why would I feel afraid of approaching her?_

 _" _Your hair is really beautiful,_ Onii-san _," she said to me with an innocent smile as soon as I approached her underneath the_ sakura _tree. Her words, however, were enough to catch me off-guard.__

 _I couldn't figure out what to say to that. I mean, the first thing she noticed was my hair? How funny could that get?_

 _" _It's really blue, like the ocean. Or I guess yours is more of a navy blue than ocean blue," she murmured with her finger on her chin as she continued to look at me with tilted head. "But… it's still blue. That's why I like it."__

 _At that point, I smiled. I couldn't tell what made me feel something in my heart. It was welling up with so much… happiness, I think. I don't know._

 _And then I noticed the paper she was folding. All the scattered papers around her were colored blue._

 _" _Is blue your favorite color?" This time, I finally found my voice and asked her that question.__

 _The girl nodded. "I really like blue, that's why I'm using blue-colored paper to make paper cranes for_ _Onii-sama _. After all, one of the meanings of the color blue is hope, right? I really hope_ Onii-sama _will get well soon. I don't want him to be sick all the time."__

 _So I guess I was wrong at one point. Her smile hid a lot of what she was actually feeling for her older brother's situation. And I couldn't find the right words to comfort her in my own way. For one, I didn't even know who her brother was. Second, it still felt a little awkward talking to her even though she was younger than me. I couldn't tell why but it felt that way._

 _"Ojou-chan _, how old are you?" was the first question that I blurted out after that contemplation. I just felt asking it. I probably did so out of curiosity.__

 _" _I'm 6 years old, born December 25. Most people call me Christmas Girl because of that," she answered sheepishly and smiled knowingly. She probably saw the surprised look on her face. "I know I look like an 8-year-old girl because of my height. But I'm telling the truth about my age,_ Onii-san _." And she even raised her right hand as if she was making an oath to me or something.__

 _I smiled at her for some reason. The same warmth I felt a while back welled up in me again. Her innocence… should I blame this feeling to her? So she was a 6-year-old girl, huh? That means she was four years younger than me._

 _" _You're playing tennis,_ Onii-san _?"__

 _I nodded and eyed my tennis bag with a proud smile._

 _" _So that means you want to be a professional tennis player in the future?"__

 _" _Yes, so I can beat my rival one day."__

 _She frowned. "Rival?"_

 _" _He was my friend who's admitted to this hospital. His skill in tennis is so amazing that I couldn't even take one game from him. Every time I score a point, he would always take it back." And I wasn't lying. That friend of mine was even stronger than Tezuka—in every way. "His skills in tennis was no joke, of that I'm sure of. And I won't be surprised if he became a pro at an early age. He's really an amazing tennis player."__

 _But I realized that Christmas Girl (sorry, but I had to call her like that for now since I didn't even know her name) was just looking at me again. I couldn't help feeling embarrassed. I kept saying how good my friend was in tennis when I haven't thought of the issue whether or not she would understand whatever it was that I was saying or not._

 _" _I guess I'm just talking nonsense here, huh?"__

 _To my surprise, however, she gently shook her head and smiled at me lovingly, as if saying that she was saying that she totally understood…_

 _… _that she was proud of me.__

 _That smile did something more than taking my breath away. It also made my heart beat fast—No… wild would be the perfect word to describe my heart beat right now._

 _With that smile on her face, she handed the blue paper crane she folded a while back to me. It was neatly folded, I must say, for a 6-year-old kid. Reluctantly, I took it from her hand._

 _" _Why are you giving this me?" I could only ask that to her.__

 _" _It embodies my wish for you,_ Onii-san _."__

 _Well, her words didn't only surprise me but it was also still vague to me. She just smiled at me and stood up. She was about to walk away when I did something unexpected. I grabbed her wrist out of impulse. That means, I only realized what I'd done a little too late. But I couldn't afford to let her go. At least not yet…_

 _" _What's wrong,_ Onii-san _?" she asked innocently as she tilted her head on one side. If you asked me, she really looked cute that way.__

 _I shrugged that thought out of my head. Geez! What the hell was wrong with me to think something like that? "What do you mean by what you said?"_

 _For a while, silence surrounded us both. I couldn't understand but the look she was giving me right now made me feel something different toward this girl. I didn't know what to think. I wanted to understand what was going on with me. But how was I supposed to do that?_

 _"Onii-sama _… told me a lot about you," she said that broke the silence between us.__

 _Onii-sama? _Does her brother happen to be someone I know?__

 _" _Hitoshi-_ oniisama _… was the tennis friend and rival you were talking about a while ago, right?_ Onii-sama _has the same goal as you. To be a professional tennis player one day…"__

 _Now that made sense. So she was the sister of my friend Shinomiya Hitoshi who—_

 _Wait a minute! How come Hitoshi didn't even tell me he had a little sister? And to think she was this beautiful, too…_

 _" _What's your name,_ ojou-chan _?" I asked instead—albeit a little hesitant if it was the right move.__

 _" _Kourin. Shinomiya Kourin."__

 _" _Why are you giving this to me, Kourin-_ chan _? Isn't this the paper crane that you're making for your brother?"__

 _" _Didn't I tell you? That paper crane embodies my wish for you. A wish that someday, you'll be able to fulfill your dreams."__

 _I blinked at her words. Not only that, I was surprised, as well. I guess it was because of that surprise I felt that made me release her wrist I was holding the entire time._

 _" _Everything I said to you is true. One day, I want to see you soar tha sky of your dreams freely just like that crane. I used a blue paper to fold it into a crane. You know what the color blue means, right? Blue represents hope. That's why I want you to hope for a better future as you soar that sky which holds all of those dreams and hope that you have in your heart. I know you can do that. After all, you are Yukimura Seiichi-_ san _, right?"__

 _Now, I really don't know what to think or even what to say to that. I couldn't believe it. A 6-year-old really said those words that made me feel something mysteriously warm inside my chest for the first time in my life. It was a different kind of warmth—far different than anything I've ever felt so far._

 _Just what in the world could this mean?_

 _" _You really… believe I can do that?" I asked her in a soft tone, still looking at her intently. I couldn't stop looking at her now.__

 _She smiled at me once more and let out an agreeing sound as she nodded once. "I believe in it… more than anything. And besides, you're a great person, Yukimura-san. I know you can do it…"_

 **-x-x-**

Now that I thought about it, I guess I'd held on to those words tighter than I thought. She believed in me—that I could one day fulfill my dreams. She knew I could do it… more than anything. And I thought it was her encouragement that made me reach what I had achieved now.

 ** _Miss you, miss you so much_**

 ** _Because I miss you so much_**

I looked around the tennis courts. It was already near-empty. The practice that day ended early much to our confusion. Nanasaki- _buchou_ rarely ended our tennis practices early. But he later explained to us the reason. Our weekend practices would be much longer and harsher than ever in preparation for the Kantou Finals three weeks from now. Nanasaki- _buchou_ and Hirota- _fukubuchou_ would still be busy preparing the training menus for tomorrow along with _buchou_ 's sister and the team manager Hotaru. The early dismissal was just for us to rest in order to prepare for it. After all, a good rest is essential for a good performance.

I was supposed to leave as early as I could so that I could head out to the rooftop garden. But before I could even take one step, Nanasaki- _buchou_ called for me. I raised an eyebrow because of that.

Was he going to scold me again? I wasn't slacking off or even zoning out during practice a while back, right? Was I in trouble? No, I doubt that.

As it turned out, I wasn't the only one who was called. Even Sanada and Yanagi were called, as well. Niou and the others decided to wait for the two, for some reasons unexplained. But that wasn't what bothered me at this moment.

"Is there something wrong, _buchou_?" Well, it was for the best that I asked what was wrong, right?

To my confusion, though, he shook his head as an answer. "I just want to remind you guys to head here tomorrow at 5 AM. I'm going to need your help about the equipments."

"You bought new tennis equipments to replace the sabotaged ones, _buchou_?"

"No. The tennis equipments I'm talking about actually belonged to a family friend. She told me two days ago that we could use those, though they were slightly used and she doesn't want those equipments to rot in her house. No one's using them, anyway. She already had the principal and the headmaster's approval about using them so we don't have to worry."

"Miyako suggested that, am I right?" Miyako was the only person I know at this point that was generous (or hurting enough) to give away her tennis equipments.

"Well, she most likely forced us to have it. Her reasons as to why was that has a point, though," Hotaru answered my question.

At least, that explained it.

The rest of the conversation didn't register that much in my mind. Well, my thoughts went somewhere else… again. I couldn't do anything about it. But _buchou_ would scold me if I zoned out again. Sheesh! I hated it when I have zoning attacks like this, especially in the middle of an important meeting.

Luckily, I still caught bits and the last part of the meeting before someone noticed me zoning out again. Why was I so noticeable at this point of time, anyway? Was it really that weird of me to be like that? Was my smile not enough to disguise what I was really thinking?

 ** _Everyday all by myself_**

 ** _Calling and calling you_**

 **-x-x-**

 _" _You can do it, Seiichi-_ san _!"__

 _Despite feeling my energy draining away from me, I stood up and faced my opponent on the other side of the court. Yes, I was having a tennis match against Kourin's brother once again, determined to defeat the only person I couldn't beat all this time. Hitoshi was really strong… and amazing. I won't deny that._

 _Each time Hitoshi and I played, I always ended up beaten. And each time, I could say that I progressed—at least a bit. Now I could take as far as 5 games from him. That's how strong my friend was, despite the sickness that was slowly killing him. He could go pro, but that sickness bound him to do so._

 _For that reason, he made me promise something… about Kourin. It happened one ordinary day during one of our matches, but until now, I hadn't given him my answer to it yet._

 _With the score of 7 games to 5, I lost to Hitoshi… again. But it was okay by me. For what reason? Kourin cheered for me instead of her brother. Weird, huh? And I felt elated because of that._

 _" _Here," Kourin said while handing out two cans of drinks. "Which will it be, juice or iced tea?"__

 _Those simple gestures were enough to dissipate my frustration over my loss almost instantly. Her cheers contributed to that, as well. I took the iced tea and we sat together on that bench._

 _" _You're really amazing, Seiichi-_ san _…" she suddenly said that caught me off-guard and made me face her with a slightly surprised expression. I couldn't help smiling a little bit sheepishly no matter how strained it could have been.__

 _" _I'm not amazing like your brother, though." Stating that, however, made me feel a bit ashamed of myself. I've been trying to beat my rival for a long time but it felt like I wasn't progressing that much at all. It made me feel that I wasn't good enough for… her. And for that reason, I looked away.__

 _I had no idea what effect those words could give me in the future… as long as I hadn't defeated my rival in an outright challenge to beat him in the official game. But right now, it didn't matter._

 _" _Well, to me, you are."__

 _Did my ears deceive me? Did I hear it all too well?_

 _Slowly, I faced her with one hell of a confused expression stuck on my face. At least, I knew that. Not only that, my heart was hammering inside my chest like crazy because of what she said. I didn't know how or why but her words felt so much more than I could ever think of._

 _All this time since we became friends, since we met underneath that_ _sakura _tree, she usually said things that would cause my heart to beat wildly. Her simple and caring gestures would always bring warmth in my chest. Her smile made everything feel so heavenly. Her cheers for me would give me undeniable strength that I never thought I would find (at least not fully) inside of me.__

 _In a short span of time, she became someone so special to me in so many ways. She really had done so much for me._

 _Kourin was the one whom I should consider amazing and not the other way around. I should be the one saying those words and not her._

 _" _One day, I know you can be an even more amazing person that_ Onii-sama _. Even he told me so. You just have to believe it will happen… that you can be that kind of person…"__

 _But how was that even possible? How was I supposed to be like that when I couldn't even beat someone stronger than me?_

 _" _You doubt what I'm saying, do you?"__

 _" _N-no!" Somehow, my answer came out a bit rash. And right now, I was feeling nervous for some reasons.__

 _The look on her eyes, however, told me that she clearly knew I was lying. I looked away before she could even notice my face. I could feel it getting hotter by the minute. And I wouldn't be surprised if I was blushing at that very moment._

 _I hated it when I was like that, especially in front of her…_

 **-x-x-**

"Yukimura- _kun_."

I was snapped from my thoughts because of those words. When I looked up, I saw several worried-looking faces focused on me. I saw _buchou_ 's look. I found it weird, though. His face wasn't blank like how I used to see it to him. He eyed me like the way he would at Hotaru—at least at that time. He eyed me like a caring brother he was.

I gave a small bow and said my apologies for spacing out again.

 ** _Want to see you, want to see you_**

 ** _Because I want to see you so much_**

"Don't be late tomorrow. For now, you go ahead. I'll relay the details of the rest of the meeting to your e-mail."

Of course, what _buchou_ said gave me a surprise. He wasn't angry, that much I could tell. But for what reason? I chose to follow what he said and separated ways with the rest of the team.

As I had originally planned, I headed straight to the rooftop garden. I went there as fast as I could. Though the garden had so many flowers planted there, I only headed to a certain spot. One particular flower grew there beautifully as such that made me remember a lot again.

This time, I smiled as I remembered it. Weird as it might seem, but it was a memory that reminded me of what could have cost me about something. Of course, I truly regretted that it didn't actually happen because of… a few interruptions…

 **-x-x-**

 _It was Christmas time. A season filled with joy and hope for the coming New Year. Christmas trees, snow, presents, and of course, mistletoes. But that day was particularly special—Christmas day. That means, it was also Kourin's birthday. Her 8th birthday, that is._

 _The second one that she got to celebrate with me._

 _For some reasons, Hitoshi told me to have a stroll downtown with Kourin. He said that it was his sister's request that I accompany her. Of course, I was surprised. And to think she would specifically request for me when she could have her friends to accompany her._

 _Well, I did what Hitoshi want me to do in the end. After all, it was a great opportunity. I didn't know why but for some reasons I couldn't explain, I had this bad feeling in me about all this. My time with Kourin…_

 _They felt so… final._

 _I didn't want to think of anything else at that moment, though. I enjoyed every moment I had with her. I did everything to make it memorable to both of us. It was Christmas Day, after all. Besides, it was also her birthday._

 _While eating our snacks at the park, I decided to stop by first at the flower shop. It took me a lot of time to think of a perfect flower to give to Kourin. As soon as I thought of it, I immediately headed out to the flower shop. I know the moment I bought that particular flower that it was the perfect one for her. If only she could tell that it also defined one of the things that I truly felt for her…_

 _" _Forget-me-nots?"__

 _I nodded when I handed it over to her. I thought she won't take it basing on the incredulous look she was giving to me. "I don't have any gifts to give to you today. But I hope you'll like this, though I'm not sure about that…"_

 _I knew I was just talking to myself. But for some reason, I was totally unsure. Seriously, this girl could make me feel this way. Only this girl could do this to me. What was even weird, I was okay with it… as long as she would be the only one who would do it. I only wanted her to make me like this, to bring out a side of me I never knew I had._

 _I only wanted her to bring out the real me._

 _" _Thank you, Seiichi-_ san _…" she said gratefully and gently with a smile as she took the flower from my hand.__

 _Our hands touched, giving me a sort of electrifying sensation that coursed its way through my veins. I wasn't sure if she noticed it, though. How I wished she did… so I wasn't the only one feeling this way._

 _" _I really like it."__

 _To my surprise, however, I saw tears streaked down her cheeks which caused me to panic. What went wrong? Did I do something bad? But something different and totally unexpected happened. She threw herself to me and cried there._

 _What in the world was going on?_

 _" _Kourin-_ chan _?" I sighed inwardly after her name slipped out of my mouth. For a long time, since the day I met her, I've always wanted to call her name without putting honorifics beside it as I mentioned it. But that would be a little rude, right? "Are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"__

 _" _I don't want to say goodbye to you, Seiichi-_ san _…"__

 _Say goodbye? What for? "W-what are you talking about?"_

 _" _After New Year's Day, my family will be moving to America. We might be staying there for 10 years or so. But I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave this place. I don't want to leave you, most of all," she answered in between cries.__

 _I froze at her words. I didn't know it would come to this. Why did it have to happen now?_

 _" _D-don't cry, Kourin-_ chan _…" Yeah, right. Great advice, Seiichi. I was saying to her that she mustn't cry while I was about to cry, as well. What a great way to advising something to myself. I don't want to say goodbye to her but what could I do? Stop her family from letting her leave?__

 _Impossible! Totally crazy!_

 _But could I let her leave like that? Could I allow her to leave me? Selfish as it might have sounded, but that was how I felt. I didn't want her to leave._

 _" _I don't want to leave, Seiichi-_ san _…" was her constant cries to me. But it was all enough to make me feel sad long before I realized what was happening. Her cries also clenched my heart tight that I felt like I couldn't breathe.__

 _I returned her tight embrace to me in the same degree. I smiled at that, though, despite the tinge of sadness in it. She was embracing me as if afraid to let me go altogether. It felt so warm._

 _" _I guess it was the right gift to give you, after all."__

 _No words came out. Instead, she slowly released me from her embrace and looked at me. "What do you mean?"_

 _" _Forget-me-nots… That's the name of the flower I gave you, right?"__

 _She nodded._

 _" _Just do that. Just do what the flower's name exactly meant. And I tell you, no matter where you are, I'll always be with you. They might just be few, but the moments we shared together will always be with you. I promise." At least, I was confident to say that. For what reason? I would do the same thing. I would do it constantly… until the day she came back here and at least look for me.__

 _" _Will you really promise… not to forget me?" Her voice sounded a lot like hopeful, though.__

 _I smiled at her—the best I could muster. I didn't want her to get sad even more than this, after all._

 _" _I promise."__

 _But I didn't know how it all happened. I just found myself nearing my face to hers as I touched her cheek. I couldn't stop myself, I felt like I have no control over my body._

 _I didn't know if I could consider it a good thing or a bad thing, but both of our cell phones rang simultaneously. It was more than enough to break the trance surrounding us. I could see her face turned into a darker shade of pink as she looked away from me. I knew I was the same._

 _Just great! What nice ways of interrupting a really good moment. (And I might add that it would've been an extremely wonderful moment if it wasn't for the interruption.) I couldn't help sighing dejectedly._

 _Hitoshi called Kourin for some reason and later made her agitated that had gotten those two into another petty argument._

 _While Sanada called just to greet me a Merry Christmas._

 _If only I could say that it wasn't a merry occasion anymore._

 _How could this day get any worse?_

 _But then I thought…_

 _… _how far could we have gone if no interruptions ensued?__

 _Could I have told her the truth? Would the kiss even happen? What would she say if I had just told her what I truly feel for her?_

 **-x-x-**

 ** _Now it's like a habit_**

 ** _Keep calling out your name_**

How I strongly wished I told her the truth, even though the moment was totally ruined. How I wished I told her everything, and not just to remember me and our memories. How I wished I've done all that… so that I wouldn't have ended up regretting and thinking a lot of "what if" scenarios.

But I didn't.

 ** _It's the same today_**

And I would never be able to do so… ever again.

I would never have that chance now.

 **-x-x-**

 _"Ne _, Seiichi-_ san _, can I ask you something?"__

 _" _As long as I can answer it, of course."__

 _" _Don't' worry, you have all the time in the world to think about the answer to this question."__

 _" _What do you mean?" I couldn't help frowning at her words. Was there such a question where you have all the time in the world to think about the answer, as she said it?__

 _" _You really want to beat my brother in tennis, right?"__

 _I nodded, of course, despite the confusion over the situation._

 _" _But have you… found that special strength to beat him?"__

 _Have I? No, I guess I haven't found it yet. But what does that had to do with anything? What was she really trying to ask to me?_

 _" _I don't know if you have heard this quote before, but…_ Onii-sama _once said this one to me. 'To win against an opponent stronger than yourself, you must not be weaker than that opponent.'_ ***** _To be honest, I don't know how to interpret that until now. But he said that people have a type of inner strength that's completely unique to them—one that let you not become weaker than your opponent. When you find that kind of strength within you, you'll find yourself as a stronger person no matter the basis of true strength. Strength is something that you find within you and only you can utilize it or take it away from yourself." And then she laughed. It was a heartful one, no matter how short.__

 _I could've laughed, as well. Except I didn't. To be honest, I wanted to understand. But right now, with the state I was in, I guess I won't be able to do so._

 _" _Pretty confusing, huh?"__

 _" _You can say that again. But I expect no less from Hitoshi. His words always have a lot of meaning no matter how simple or casual he said them."__

 _" _Seiichi-_ san _, can you promise me something?" she asked to me solemnly after that. It had taken me aback even if it was just for a short time.__

 _" _About what?"__

 _" _The next time we meet… Maybe four or five years from now… Will you become one of the best tennis players in Japan?"__

 _Huh? What was she talking about?_

 _" _At that time, when the time comes that we meet again, I'll become one of the best, as well. It's either I'll become half as good as you are in tennis or I'll become a young detective, probably half as good as my cousin. I just want to anticipate something the next time we meet again. Can you promise me that? Maybe that way, we'll both find the answer to that quote within ourselves. Four or five years is enough for us to do that, right?"__

 _I didn't know. Would I become the best by that time? It wasn't that I doubted my ability. I knew I could do it. But in four or five years? Would I be able to wait for her that long?_

 _But then I thought, she was right. Maybe it was better that we anticipate something while we wait and do our best until that time comes. At least, something could change, right?_

 _" _Can you promise me that, Seiichi-_ san _?" she asked once again.__

 _I looked at her intently as soon as I heard it. I didn't know why, but I really couldn't get enough of looking at her sapphire blue eyes. They really sparkles like… sapphires._

 _" _I promise." And it was a promise I'd fulfill with all of my heart whatever happens from then on.__

 **-x-x-**

But why did you have to lie to me, Kourin? You told me we'd meet again after four years or so. You told me you'd become the best in your chosen field by that time. I did my part of the bargain. Why didn't you do yours? I didn't want to add the word "liar" to your name but… why?

Why did you have to leave me without saying goodbye? Why did you have you break your promise? Why did I end up losing you? Why did I become a coward to tell you I love you two years ago?

 ** _I thought I'd let go_**

 ** _Not leaving anything behind_**

I could've…

No, I should've told you the truth about how I love you two years ago. Forget about the fact that you were four years younger than me. Forget about the fact that you were my best friend/rival's little sister. Forget about the fact that, in a way, we were worlds apart.

Screw all that! Just forget all of that! I just loved you too much. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't that enough for you to come back to me? Stop these tears from falling even more… Please, I'm begging you…

Just come back to me…

I've held on to our promise, Kourin. And it wasn't even four years that had passed yet. So why didn't you do your part? Tell me these were all nightmares…

Tell me this wasn't reality at all…

 ** _No, no_**

 ** _Now I still can't let you go_**

 **-x-x-**

 _"Onii-chan _, have you heard the news?"__

 _" _What news?" That was when I raised my head from what I was sketching to my sketchpad. I frowned and got worried at the same time when I saw the expression of my sister Mihiro. "Mi-_ chan _? What's wrong?"__

 _" _They didn't make it alive."__

 _My mind felt like it turned blank. They? Could she be talking about… "What?"_

 _" _Hitoshi-_ san _and the others… His entire family and other relatives… They were massacred in their mansion last night._ Onii-chan _, it's already in the news…"__

 **-x-x-**

Tell me I didn't lose you like that. Please tell me you were still alive. Please, just tell me that. I didn't want to lose you like that. I didn't want to lose you in any way at all.

Please…

Please just do that to me… Kourin…

 ** _Miss you, miss you so much_**

 ** _Because I miss you so much_**

Just do that and I won't ever let go. I would proudly show to the world how much I love you, how much I was willing to fight for me. I would do all that just to prove to them that it was you I would love this much.

But you lied to me in the end. Did you have any idea how much pain it inflicted on me? How could you leave me like that? How could you?!

 **-x-x-**

" _No one… survived? Not even one?"_

" _As far as everyone could tell, no one could possibly survive from that kind of onslaught so devastating that the police were having a hard time identifying the culprits responsible for that. With that many dead bodies scattered inside that estate and with their bodies burned, the police doubted that someone had escaped from that attack, Onii-chan…"_

 **-x-x-**

I remembered that at that moment, with that one news, I felt everything around me faded. Everything had lost its meaning. All I could do was to scream in agony at the top of my lungs and cry nonstop. But for some reason, I couldn't scream her name at all. I couldn't scream Kourin's name out loud.

At that time, I couldn't…

 ** _Every day, all by myself_**

 ** _Calling and calling you_**

It was my heart—my broken and now fragile heart—that had screamed it for me. Each scream shattered it slowly to pieces. The pain she gave me was unbearable that I wished I should've been dead the moment I heard the news. Could this be the world and fate telling me that you would never be meant for me, Kourin? Could this be its cruel way of letting me know that?

I had no idea how long I cried in front of the forget-me-nots. My tears watered those flowers every time whenever I go there and inevitably remember her. And every time, those flowers had constantly reminded me a lot about her. Besides the blue paper crane that she gave me, the forget-me-nots helped me keep her alive—in my memories.

I could keep her alive in my heart that had always loved her and no one else…

 ** _Want to see you, want to see you_**

 ** _Because I want to see you so much_**

The blue paper crane—the first item that she gave me and what had started our friendship 5 years ago…

And the forget-me-nots—the last item that I gave her and what had made us say our goodbyes and "see you after four years" message two years ago…

The first and the last—the boundaries of the special memories that I had with her…

Finally, I managed to stop my tears from falling even more… for now.

 ** _Now it's like I have this habit_**

 ** _Keep calling out your name_**

 ** _It's the same today_**

I sat in front of the forget-me-nots and stared at it blankly. But my hand subconsciously looked for another paper in my jersey pocket. No, it wasn't the paper crane. It was something else.

And it constantly reminded me of my cowardice to confess to her back then.

The item was actually a letter—one that I hadn't given to her before she left to America. Now I wonder, if I really gave it to her back then… If I had gathered the courage to talk to her and tell her the truth, would I regret a lot of things now? Would I cry like this because of her?

I unfolded the letter with no haste. No, I wasn't afraid or reluctant of opening it. I just… felt like it. But it didn't make me feel better at all. Every word in that two-year-old letter was making me even sadder and depressed that I ever was a while back.

 ** _Every day, everyday_**

 ** _It feels like I'm gonna die_**

 ** _What should I do?_**

 _Kourin-_ _chan _,__

 _I know it's weird for me to write a letter to you at this point. But I can't really say it all in phone. And I definitely couldn't say it to you personally considering the effect that you had in me. Besides, I have no guts to say it all out in one go. So I hope you'll at least pay attention to what I've written here. After all this is all for you._

 _I met you when you were six, I was only ten back then. I'm just slightly younger that your Hitoshi-_ _oniisama _and my childhood friend Sanada. From the first time I met you, you're already a bubbly and cheerful person. Your smile was always filled with sunshine, always giving hope—at least to me. And whenever you're sad, I tried to do my best to cheer you up because it always pains me to see you crying or hurt. It's been like that even if it's just for a few years. You know what? I would continue doing that even though you're not here with me anymore. I should've said this to you before but I guess I was never given the chance to do so, or maybe I let it slip away. But I'm willing to wait for you no matter how long it takes for me to do so. Did you know? There's one big reason why I stated that I'll wait for you… even though I know I would be giving up for some reason. Four or five years is still too long, after all. But here's my promise to you. As long as I have the blue paper crane that you gave me the day you first talked to me, I won't let go. Not even once.__

 _I love you. I don't exactly know how you would react to this. It's quite shocking, and I know that. But I really want you to know how I exactly feel for you. I couldn't keep it any longer. Ever since I realized that I love you more than a friend, more than a little sister, everything around me changed a whole lot for the better. And since the day you left Japan without me even telling what I feel for you, you just keep on appearing in my mind. My heart was calling your name over and over. It keeps on calling "Kourin-_ _chan _" nonstop. You're like a ghost. You've been haunting me all this time… ever since you left.__

 _I wish you never left, Kourin-_ _chan _. I don't care about the reasons. I just wish you never left. Because then, I wouldn't feel this emptiness here in my heart as if you took a part of it when you left. I wanted to get it back but I asked myself, "Why should I? Why should I get something back that I unconsciously gave to you the day I realized I love you?" I just couldn't get it back. I know it's weird for me saying all of this to you considering our age gap and all. But all that I've written here was the truth. I love you and nothing will ever change that.__

 _Given the chance, I could prove myself and I'm going to just for you. What I did to make you happy, cheer you up, and befriend you so you wouldn't feel alone—it was all for you, Kourin-_ _chan _. Everything I do, everything I am, everything I stand for—all for you. At the moment, it just felt like that. One day, in the near future, even if it means I have to give up my life trying to prove my love for you, I'm willing to do it with all of my strength, all of my heart.__

 _I'm sorry that I couldn't say I love you in person since… Well, I couldn't. Not unless you would want me to go to where you are but I know you wouldn't let me. At least not yet. Whether you give me your answer immediately after reading this letter or after a few more years, I don't care. Like I said, I will wait for you. Forever, if you want to. In addition to that, I'll do what I had promised you. The next time we meet, I'll become one of the best tennis players in Japan—one that you can be proud of, I hope. So until that day, I want you to do your best, as well. We'll meet each other the day we have fulfilled our promise to each other._

 _Before I end this, I want to let you know for the last time that I love you. I think about you day and night. I'm so glad that I've met a person like you even for just once in my life and you've made it the loveliest one to live._

 _I'll wait for you, okay?_

 _-Seiichi-_

Now that I thought about it, I wonder what could've happen to the two of us if I had told the whole truth to Kourin. Would she accept it or would she refuse it? Would it separate us even further if I told her the truth?

This story was one with a definite sad ending—one that brought me so much pain and grief. One that made me loses all the colors of my world. I couldn't bring her back to me—except in my memories. But I couldn't just live in it.

 ** _Love you, love you_**

 ** _I love you_**

Yes, it was the only place where I could still keep her alive in my heart. But I knew I was being greedy if I said it wasn't enough. I wanted to continue wishing, even though my wish was impossible. I wanted to continue hoping, no matter how hopeless the situation could be. I wanted to think of all the possibilities, no matter what the world said to me about how impossible it would be.

Hoping for a miracle to happen—I could only do as much.

 ** _I hadn't even spoken the words_**

 ** _I just let you go_**

I'd keep on hoping that one day, in some place, some time, I could see her again. Be with her again. Let our paths cross again.

Maybe that way, it could happen. Maybe a miracle would definitely work. Maybe this hope that I have in my heart could definitely bring her back to me. Maybe all of these wishful thinkings could create a new path for it to happen. Maybe destiny could work its way to bring her back to me in any ways possible.

 ** _Sorry, sorry_**

 ** _Do you hear my words?_**

Yeah… maybe one day, all of it would surely come true.

And until that day, I'd hold on to all of these memories you gave me, Kourin. I won't let go of the hope in me to bring you back to my life.

I won't let go… ever.

That's because I knew, deep in my heart, we're meant to be together. And you'd always be my one true love… just as how the forget-me-nots truly meant in the language of flowers.

 ** _My late confession_**

 ** _Can you hear it?_**

God, please fulfill my wish… That's my one greatest hope and prayer to you. Just let it happen and I won't ever let it go.

Please…

 ** _I love you…_**

 **-x-x-**

 ***This quote actually came from Nanoha in "Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Strikers" manga.**

 **I know I've made Yukimura OOC in this one. But then again, the idea of writing this one actually came to me when I thought about his possible reasons for playing tennis other than "tennis is my life" answer of his all the time. So then I thought that maybe if he made a promise to someone that he will do his best in tennis—someone who was extremely important to him, then it could be a possible drive for him to be able to be the best in it regardless of his means of achieving it.**

 **Am I making sense here? I guess not.**

 **Anyway, I've been listening to several sad songs while writing this. You want to know the full list of it?**

 **1… "Winter Love" by BoA Kwon (Japanese)**

 **2… "How Can I Not Love You?" by Joy Enriquez (English… not sure if it's OPM or not. I'll still research on this one.)**

 **3… "It Has To Be You" by Yesung of Super Junior (Korean)**

 **4… "Waiting" by BoA Kwon (Korean)**

 **5… "Only Person" by BoA Kwon (Korean)**

 **6… "In Another Lifetime" by Gary Valenciano (English OPM)**

 **7… "Let The Pain Remain" by Side A (English OPM)**

 **8… "I Need You Here To Stay" by Jeremiah (English OPM)**

 **9… "Everlasting" by BoA Kwon (Japanese)**

 **10… "Getting Over You" by Juris Fernandez (English OPM)**

 **11… "Back In Time" by Lyn (OST of the Korean drama "The Moon That Embraces The Sun")**

 **12… "The One And Only You" by Kim Soo Hyun (OST of the Korean drama "The Moon That Embraces The Sun")**

 **13… "Because I Miss You" by Jung Yong Hwa (OST from the Korean drama "You've Fallen For Me / Heartstrings")**

 **14… "Until I Find You Again" by Jim Brickman (English)**

 **15… "Until I Get Over You" by Christina Millan (English)**

 **16… "Why Can't It Be?" by Gino Padilla (English OPM)**

 **17… "Will You Wait For Me?" by Kavana (English)**

 **18… "If You Love Me More" by Ryeowook of Super Junior (Korean)**

 **19… "Coagulation" by Super Junior (Korean)**

 **20… "What If" by Nina (English OPM [?])**

 **21… "Memories" by Super Junior KRY (Korean)**

 **22… "Never Had A Dream Come True" by S Club 7**

 **There's a lot of them, right? But the one featured in the story is entitled "Because I Miss You" by Jung Yong Hwa, though I've only put the English translation for the benefit of the readers since this is an ENGLISH fanfiction.**

 **Read and review!**


	4. A Sunset Dream (Sanada)

**Chapter Title:** A Sunset Dream

 **Chapter Summary:** To the eyes of the world, he's just cold, cynical and unfeeling. No one knows that for once in his life, one person who eyed the world with sadness made him realize what it's really like to love regardless of its painful ending. Sanada/OC

 _ **Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness).**_

 **By the way, this is the side story related to "Seasons of Chances and Love #3: Promised Love In Autumn". Okay, it doesn't relate that much to the entire story but, hey; it's still a love story. This time, it's about Sanada's sad love story that Yukimura vaguely mentioned in the side story "For Real?!" and also seen in the 3rd story of "Seasons of Chances and Love". In a way, this is related to the side story featuring Yukimura's own sad love story. If you want to, you can listen to the song "One Sweet Day" by Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey since I can say that the song actually fits this extra chapter. Happy reading!**

 **-x-x-**

He has a story—one that until now, he had carefully hidden from the rest of the world. He only kept it to himself. But he knew his best friend Yukimura somehow managed to figure out the whole story. His best friend knew but didn't dare mention it to others. He was thankful for that.

But mentioning that...

Just what exactly was Sanada's secret story?

Well, it all began in late March of his second year in middle school. No one knew—at first, not even Yukimura—that he was taking the long way to go to his house for a certain reason. Shocking as it might seem, but the reason was actually... a girl.

Yes… He was known as someone who doesn't even give a damn care about a girl. It's either he wasn't that interested or he doesn't give a care at all, especially if it was a fan girl or someone similar. But this girl was different. She was different for the reason that she doesn't know him at all. And yet he wasn't satisfied with just that. Yes, he could admit—at least to himself—that he liked her a lot.

But all he could do, however, was to have a glimpse of her. She usually sat on top of a boulder by the seaside. He noticed one thing, though. This girl always had a sad smile on her face as she watched the sunset. Hard as he tried not to, he couldn't help wondering about the girl's actions. Every time he would see her, that sad smile was on her face. Gradually, as seconds passed by that he watched her there, the smile would disappear and she would proceed to take pictures of the ocean with the colors of the red orange sunset as her subject.

At that point, he realized that the girl must have really liked photography.

He thought his routine would go on like that forever. But a surprise later told him that it wasn't meant that way. A few days before the Kantou Finals of his senior year in middle school, he saw her at Rikkaidai's tennis courts, taking pictures of the practice that particular day. Or at least, that was what he thought. Initially, he took it as an offensive action. But the girl wasn't even scared when he approached her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Obviously, I'm taking photos."

Well, that was a good way of stating the obvious. He could've smacked the girl's head but it wasn't in his moral code to do that to a girl like her whom he always watched as he passed by the seaside. And to think this girl was the one he wanted to approach for so long...

He sighed. "Why are you taking photos of the team's practice?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was taking photos of your team?" she asked back rather innocently. "Besides, I don't even care about the team."

Confusion took over him. But before he could even ask another question, she added, "I only care about watching you as you lead your team. In other words, I only took photographs of you."

Of course, it stunned him to an extent but no outward signs of it appeared on his face. Well, duh! He wasn't the stoic vice-captain of Rikkaidai's tennis team for nothing. After that, conversation ensued while making sure the team wasn't slacking off with their practice drills. His conversation with the girl who introduced herself as Kinoshita Kanako made him unable to notice the smirks, surprised looks and stifled laughter of the team as the drills continued.

Their conversation led to a promise that he would finally approach her the next time he would take the long way home and see her by the seaside again. Before she left, she gave him a photo that surprised him because it was a photo taken without him knowing it during the time just as he was leaving the spot where he usually watched her on the seaside. She left just as fast as she came without him ever thanking her for the photograph she gave.

Their friendship started that day. But then, it was only limited and confined to that certain spot on the seaside. She said to him once that it was the only place where she could feel free, even just for a while... even if it was just a dream. Of course, he didn't know what it truly meant at that time—especially the part where she said that she envied him for being so free, not bound by anything. She said those words with so much sadness.

Then the Kantou Finals came. Despite losing to Seigaku, he knew Kanako was there, watching him—probably taking photos again. Only he couldn't see her with the rest of the crowd. After all, she was invisible to the face of the crowds, as she once stated. She was like the wind—a wind that only he could feel, a wind that only he could see. She left a photo just before he headed to the tennis courts where the tournament took place for his match with Echizen. Of course, it was done without his knowledge. But he was glad.

It was a photo of him having a match with Yanagi. The camera's focus was on him, however, so the rest of the background was a little blurred. In short, Kanako was foregrounding him on the photo. As she had stated once, he was the main character that her camera only recognized. He smiled at the remark when she said it before, for the first time. Of course, he blushed at it, as well.

Same thing happened during the Junior Invitationals. He was paired up with Atobe to play for doubles. But before the game started, she appeared to him—albeit done secretly. She personally gave him another photograph. Surprise filled him upon seeing it since the photo was taken during the time he was watching the sunset while sitting on her favorite boulder alone, and with a smile at that.

"Why are you giving this to me?" At the very least, he managed to ask her that question since she was really making it all too confusing for him.

But her eyes denoted so much sadness that baffled and mystified him to no end. Her answer added fuel to the fire of confusion in him.

"Win or lose, I want you to have it. This is the smile I always want to see from you the day I become your sky."

Again, she was speaking in riddles—one he couldn't decipher despite trying his best to read between the lines of her words. She was as mysterious as what lies beyond the horizon, like the line that separated the sky and the ocean. Her words proved it. However, those words Kanako had spoken were different from the others. It was sad and sounded so... final.

He did his best in the Junior Invitationals. And then Nationals was just around the corner. But weird as it might have seemed for him, she wasn't. He kept returning to her favorite place, but she never came. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. No sign of her. No matter how hard or absurd, he waited for her. Those days, weeks and months that had passed, however, wasn't only hard and absurd... and lonely for him. It also filled his mind with so many questions as to where she could have gone to.

Well, he has to blame the pictures of him and her (it varies) being put in his shoe locker for him to have so many questions in his mind. At first, he thought of throwing them away. But he couldn't upon realizing that they came from her. He could easily recognize it as something that came from Kanako's because of the symbol drawn at the back of the envelope. It was a small drawing of the setting sun and its reflection with a line in between, acting as a separator for the two figures, representing horizon. It was Kanako's symbol on each of her photograph that she personally gave to him. Of course, this event didn't go unnoticed to the rest of the Rikkaidai regulars, especially to Yukimura who had just returned from his hospitalization and rehabilitation.

Nationals came and went, but Kanako never came. He couldn't feel her wind-like presence. Silently and earnestly, he wished that he could see her at least just once more.

His wish came true a month after Christmas day—the birthday of Yukimura's first love (whoever she was) who gave the blue paper crane to the blue-haired captain that his best friend strongly treasured. He couldn't understand why Yukimura kept going back to the rooftop garden to watch the forget-me-not bloom. He couldn't understand why Yukimura kept going back to the university hospital's sakura tree. He couldn't understand why his best friend kept on doing so knowing that those were the places that reminded the tennis captain of the intense pain of losing his important person who died more than a year ago. Or if he heard it right from a reliable source, that important person was most likely killed. Sanada couldn't understand why Yukimura was torturing himself, regretting about a lot of thing that the tennis captain could've possibly done before he lost that important person.

But one event made him understand. However, it all came too fast, too sudden that he was caught completely off-guard. It was during another tennis practice when his wish came true. A girl came to the tennis courts that day, frantically asking Yukimura's permission to speak with Sanada since it was an urgent matter. Yukimura allowed her to do so, sensing the situation to be serious for the girl to be frantic.

When Sanada approached the girl, she only said, "Please go to this place. She wants you to be there as soon as possible... before she let it all go..."

After that, the girl handed him an envelope with a familiar sunset symbol drawn on it. Right there and then, he understood. One look to Yukimura and the captain nodded. That's it and he left the tennis courts without words, along with the girl who told him the place to go.

Well, the place was actually a hospital. It was the place that he somehow hated for some reasons. When he reached the designated room, he saw Kanako. But not in the way as he had truly wished before. She was there, alright. She was lying there, completely still with a blanket covering her body, linen covering her face.

Lifeless...

Breathless...

Cold...

At that moment, it seemed that his world shattered. He was numb. His mind shut down and refused of anything else the moment the realization hit him hard with the force of a train. Kanako let go... without even waiting for him. She should've waited for him until the end. If she did, he would've told her the truth. He would've told her what he truly felt for her despite her mysteries. He would've told her how much she loved her, despite him being known as someone stoic and with a personality of a stone. It would've been enough to set her free.

But she didn't.

It all ended without him doing something for her.

After that, he didn't know what happened next or what he did. In fact, he didn't even know how he went out of the hospital and headed straight home without meeting and accident along the way. He didn't know, and he could care less. No matter how much he denied it, he was hurt—extremely hurt. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He wanted to cry but could only do so in silence... inside his heart. Right there and then, he realized just how fragile his heart could be. He felt it shattering loudly yet only he could hear it. And she won't be there to pick up the broken pieces and glue it back together.

The next few days after that went normal to the team, but the regulars could feel that something was still different. To be more precise, it was Sanada who was actually different. But none of them knew the reason—except Yukimura.

Kanako's death turned out to be even more confusing to the stoic vice-captain. He wanted so much to understand her—everything about her. He wanted to understand her words which held a lot of hidden meaning, her sadness that made her cry all the time, her smile that showed her struggle to reach out to the world, and most of all, he wanted to understand her desire to be free.

One day, someone helped him achieved that. The same girl who told him to go to the hospital—who happened to be Kanako's cousin and best friend—gave him a rectangular portrait-like item entirely covered in a light green wrapping paper—Kanako's favorite color. Along with it was a letter that came from Kanako. Apparently, it was a letter she deliberately wrote the day before she died. With Yukimura's permission, he headed to her favorite place even before tennis practice ended.

Confusion and speculations hovered around as to what made Yukimura allow Sanada to do that. But only the tennis captain knew, after all and he truly understood his vice-captain's situation. It was the least he could do for Sanada.

Upon reaching the place, Sanada read the letter first. Her letter stated—no matter how loosely the other words were written, indicating her struggle to write it despite feeling so weak—how thankful she was to a lot of things that he did for her. Kanako also wrote how sorry she was, stating her desire to personally ask for his forgiveness—which she didn't do in the end—because she didn't tell him about her true condition and her fated eventual death that she had somehow foreseen. At one part of the letter, it came too late for him to know that he actually allowed his tears to fall.

It was stated in the letter how sorry she was for not having the chance and the courage to tell him she loved him. And that love, along with his presence as she wrote it, made her know what it was really like to be free. A lot of "thank you" and "I'm sorry" were just some of the words she wrote there over and over. She wrote her envy about him being free, as well. She wrote there that until the end, she was still envious of him. That despite him being sturdy, stoic, and constantly regarded as someone with a personality similar to stone, he was still free. But the postscript on the letter made him understand her words from before, during the Junior Invitationals—about her wanting to become his sky.

 _Smile whenever you look up to the sky. I'll smile back at you from there. After all, I am your sky, right? At least I want you to remember that. I'll watch over you, Genichirou. I'll always be your sky... I promise._

At that point, he finally understood. He finally understood why Yukimura still continued to return to the rooftop garden and to the university hospital's sakura tree despite knowing that the memories would resurface and incessantly hurt him from within upon going. He finally understood why his best friend kept holding on no matter how hopeless it was. Most of all, he fully understood Kanako's intense desire to be free.

From the start, she was bound by the deadly illness, which was why she was sad. She was invisible to the face of the world but he was able to see her from the crowd. When no one else would, he was able to prove that she existed. It was him who made her existence worth remembering. And it was him who intensified her desire to be released from those suffocating chains of her sickness.

Now he truly knew.

After reading the letter, he carefully removed the beautiful gift wrap of the rectangular item. Much to his surprise, it was a photo mosaic of their first photograph together. It was a masterpiece she made there. Her way of ingeniously putting different photos together like a puzzle to form the image was remarkable. He must admire Kanako's talent for that. The different photos were actually consisted of those that Kanako took during those times they were together, even the photos taken during his tennis matches and practices were there, as well.

The main image—which was a close-up photo of Sanada and Kanako together—was taken during the time that both of them smiled. She showed her true smile that time, which made him unconsciously show his true smile without his knowledge. It was what made them even closer. In that photo mosaic, it appeared that she decided to immortalize that one beautiful moment—a moment that he truly cherished in his heart. It was a moment that made him realize that he was capable of loving someone much more than he could ever think of.

The sunset seen on the ocean's horizon would always remind him of so many things. The sad color of the sunset would remind him that even those people regarded as close to having the characteristics of a stone were also capable of feeling something as though their hearts felt an incessant surge of pain, making them suffer and cry. In Sanada's case, at the very least, he just knew how to hide his pain, no matter how much it would kill him. That was how he felt it.

The red color of the sunset would constantly remind him of her tears and silent cries. The boulder that she usually sit on every time she was going to her favorite place would remind him of her willpower to remain strong and of the way he supported her despite having no idea how he did so. He remained sturdy, strong, immovable, and most of all, he remained strong for her sake as he fought the urge to feel pity for her. He must never feel something like that.

Most of all, the sunset had let him know one important thing.

It was the red sky which reminded him of the fact—although it would probably remain a sad one—that Kanako was finally free. And now, whenever he would look at the sky—no matter if it was red, blue, grey, or black, he could tell that she was soaring high...

...flying there freely with a smile...

...humming a lovely song which eventually turned out to be their favorite...

He knew she had finally become one with the sky.

She finally became his sky... watching over him...

...just as she promised.

Right now, that was more than enough reason for him to smile...

It was a smile that he only wanted to show to her as he looked up to the sky—the place that would forever hold his love for Kanako.

 **-x-x-**

 **There! It's done. Seriously, I never thought I could write something like this about Sanada. But I can't help myself since this plot doesn't want to leave my mind at all. I was writing this when I suddenly heard the song "One Sweet Day" on the radio and I thought to myself that this song will be a perfect one to describe the theme of this fic.**

 **Well, reviews are appreciated very much. Thanks for reading!**


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